A New Reverse
by Billdip Anonymous
Summary: Somewhat Reverse Falls AU. Dipper Gleeful's life sucked. Bill Pines's life was boring. What will happen when their two worlds collide? T cause i'm paranoid, might bump it down. future BillDip. This summary is so bad.
1. Chapter 1 A Short Introduction

**A/N:** somewhat Reverse Falls AU. Inspired by a prompt on Tumblr by katlunawhisper!

Dipper Gleeful's life sucked.

The boy lived with his stupid parents in a stupid house in stupid Gravity Falls, Oregon, and in case you couldn't tell, he hated it. School life was boring, but at least he had things to occupy his time then. His dad, Bud Gleeful, yelled at him more over good grades and late work during the school year, and to get his lazy butt outside and make some friends during breaks and summer. His only friend was Mabel Northwest, the local rich girl. She was the only one who could sympathize about mean dads. But because of her parents' standards, he didn't get to visit often.

During the school year it was the same boring routine. Get up, go to school, ignore the kids who teased him for his birth mark, talk to Mabel at lunch and recess, sit through classes, come home, do homework, try to block out Bud's constant nagging, read, go to bed. Then summer went more like get up, read, get chased out of bed by Bud to go outside, read outside, go back in, eat, read some more, go to bed, and occasionally meet with Mabel.

When his twelfth summer rolled around, he figured it would be just another one of those years. The same old cycle. The same boring routine. His mother vacuums not-stop, his dad sells cars and yells at him, he sometimes visits Mabel, he almost always reads.

That is, until a certain pair of Pines kids arrived in town…

 **A/N:** sorry this is short, it's purely for introduction. The next will be longer. Swear on my lucky Shooting Stars.


	2. Chapter 2, Welcome to Gravity Falls!

Bill Pines was bored out of his mind.

His parents had shipped him and his cousin, Pacifica Pines, to some place in Road Kill County, Oregon called Gravity Falls. Until a few weeks ago, he hadn't known the place even existed, and now he was on a bus heading to the town to stay with some distant relatives he barely knew. Wonderful.

Bill stared out the window, toying with the triangle charm on the necklace he always wore. Beside it was a smaller charm like a diamond. Pacifica had one like it, but a bracelet where the diamond was bigger. She, being the fashion lover she was, got it for him one year for Christmas, a matching bracelet for herself. They both respected style and Bill always wore it. Pacifica was his favorite relative. She was his only cousin who wasn't a jerk, too old, too young, or unknown that he could have a remotely decent conversation with. Most kids at his school in Piedmont, California were unnerved by him. Maybe it was his grin, or his mystery element, or his strange golden eyes, but whatever the reason, kids tended to steer clear of him. Only Pacifica would come near him.

He must have dozed off at some point, because when he woke up, the bus was stopped and Pacifica was shaking his shoulder.

"Come on, Bill, it's time to get off. This is our stop." She informed him. He jumped to his feet suddenly and raced to get his suitcase, but his cousin was, as usual, one step ahead of him. "Here." She offered him the handle of his black and yellow back and he took it bashfully.

Pacifica dismounted the steps and waited for Bill at the bottom. As he was climbing off, he tripped over his shoelaces and half fell, half ran down the rest of the steps, catching himself only to fall on his face at the curb, his suitcase rolling over him as it clattered down the steps. Pacifica giggled at the sight as his bag rolled to a stop by her feet.

"Graceful klutz." She teased, offering him her hand so he could get back up.

"Helpful bastard." He retorted, a small grin on his face. He took the hand she offered and stood back up, retrieving his bag.

The two had a run-on joke about half-sarcastic insults and Bill figured they would probably confuse the heck out of the locals.

The two finally recovered and gazed around the bus station. The place was in the middle of the woods on the side of a dirt-and-gravel road. Only a few others milled about. Finally Bill spotted them. Two men of similar looks stood nearby. One wore a red sweater and beige trench coat of sorts, wearing black wire glasses. The other was clad in a suit, wearing a red fez with some kind of fish Pac-Man on it and leaning on a cane topped with an 8-ball. He tugged on Pacifica's sleeve and pointed at the two. They matched the description their parents had given them. The two kids grabbed their suitcases and scurried over, Pacifica giddy and Bill wary.

"Are you Stanford and Stanley Pines?" Pacifica asked. She was always so to the point, something that made her just that much easier to talk to.

The two 70 something-year-old men exchanged glances shielded by the glint of their glasses. Finally the man with the 8-ball cane spoke up. "Yes. And you must be Bill and Pacifica."

Pacifica smiled and bounced up and down a bit. Bill replied with a simple nod of his head, slipping his hands in his pockets.

The man in the sweater knelt down and held out a hand. "Greetings. I'm Stanford as you may know, but you can call me Ford. This is my brother, Stanley." He explained, sorting out the who was whom thing first. Pacifica shook his hand, taking no thought to it. But Bill noticed something. Ford appeared to have six fingers! He paused to count them and found his suspicions confirmed. His great uncle had an extra finger on each hand.

Ford of course expected this fully and smiled a bit at how his great nephew gaped at his hand. He held it up to show them, wiggling the extra finger. "I see you noticed my little abnormality." He chuckled. Bill realized he was staring and blinked, looking embarrassed. "It's nothing to worry about, Bill. Everyone is a little surprised at first. You're not the first to give a man like me curious stares." He reassured the boy when he looked away. Bill's nervousness softened and faded. He decided he liked Ford.

"Yeah, yeah, Poindexter. We get it. You got six fingers. Can we get to the me part now?" Stan asked impatiently.

Ford sighed. "Oh, Stanley, patience is a virtue, you know." He straitened and looked at his twin brother.

"Sure, whatever. So you've just met my bro over here. The six-fingered anomaly nerd." Pacifica giggled a little and Ford glared at his brother. "Now you get to know the fun twin. Me!" Stan raised his 8-ball cane in emphasis. "Who wants to visit our place in the woods? There's a gift shop!" He sing-songed.

"Ooh! Me! Me, me, me, me! Pick me!" Pacifica waved her hand in the air, bouncing up and down, her golden-blonde hair swishing from side to side as she jumped.

"Well then let's go, knuckle-heads!" and with that, Stan and Pacifica marched off into the woods, following a trail clad with signs for the Stans' place-the Mystery Shack. Ford sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, Stanley." He grumbled.

Bill gave him an amused 'I know how you feel' look, and the two followed their eccentric relatives into the forest.

What neither of them noticed, however, was the boy in blue and black hidden behind one of the trees, a book in hand, watching with curiosity at the new arrivals.

As Stan and Pacifica marched along, singing a happy tune, and Ford and Bill followed farther behind, the hidden boy decided maybe his summer wouldn't be so boring after all.

 **A/N:** so Bill is like the new Dipper, in the place of the younger Pines twins, and Pacifica is like Mabel only they're cousins, not twins. wait, does that mean Bill is his own twin, or...? ugh, okay, not going to think about that. gonna forget it. never mind.


	3. Chapter 3, Kidnapping in the Woods

**A/N:** the Stans are the same as always. I thought of maybe swapping them, but figured it would be pretty pointless. And yes. Bill nicknames Pacifica and not the other way around because his name is too short to be shortened.

Bill suspected that things weren't quite what they seemed around this town.

In the week or so he and Paz had been in town, they had mainly worked at the Mystery Shack. The Mystery Hack as the two called it away from Stan, because the 'S' in 'shack' had long ago fallen off. And also because the place was full of phony attractions.

But that was beside the point. Bill was constantly noticing weird things around the woods. And according to the journal Ford had given him to read, there were monsters lurking in the depths. But whenever he asked him about it, he would only respond with brief, vague, useless things like a chuckle or an absent "Yes, yes. Very good." And Stan excused it for gift shop lore. But that wasn't what caught his attention as much as the strange boy who kept coming to the Mystery Shack, day after day, sometimes going inside, sometimes staying at the edge of the woods, reading. Then the girl who started coming with him.

It didn't really click until the day he went for a walk in the forest.

"Hey, Stan! I'm gonna be out for a bit!" Bill called up to his great uncle. He told him to call him his 'grunkle' but Bill hated incorrect grammar and spelling, so he usually stuck with just uncle.

"Me too!" Pacifica added.

Before Stan could protest, the two ran out, shoving each other and laughing as they hurried into the forest. After a while of walking, they stopped for a snack.

That's when she appeared. A girl with long brown hair wearing a pale blue and white button-down blouse and a navy blue skirt with short black heels and a blue-black headband.

"Oh!" She blinked at them innocently, like she hadn't expected them to be there. "Hi, there!" she waved sweetly and Bill thought he recognized her from the gift shop.

"Umm, hi." He gave a shy wave of response.

"Sorry, am I interrupting anything?" She asked politely, though the look she gave Pacifica was far less so.

The two looked at each, eyes round in disbelief. "No!" Bill and Paz blurted at the same time. "I mean, she's/he's my cousin." They once again spoke in unison, subsequently bursting into giggles.

"Oh, right! You're those new kids for that shack in the woods. I heard about you from a friend of mine. He saw you here on your first day." She explained, giggling, her voice smooth as honey and just as sugary. "I'm Mabel Northwest."

"Bill Pines."

"Pacifica Pines."

They smiled at each other, though traces of hostility remained in the gaze of the Northwest girl. Pacifica noticed and seemed to connect it.

"Oh! I forgot something, be right back!" She said, jumping up and running off. She didn't give Bill anytime to protest, so all he got out was a whine of "Paz!" before she disappeared, leaving him with a complete stranger. All she wanted to do was set them up. But by leaving, she caused a much bigger problem…

When Pacifica came back, she heard a startled scream that was quickly silenced. Her heart raced as fear gripped it. Was that Bill?

She broke into a run, bursting through the trees into the small clearing where she met Mabel Northwest, but no one was there anymore. She rung her hands nervously and racked her brain for someone to help. Stan? No. Ford? Maybe… that's it! During her time that week, she had been making friends instead of staying at the shack with Bill, and she remembered someone who could help her with this particular situation.

Spinning on her heel, she ran back into the woods and off to town. Racing past the tree line, she ran and ran, ignoring the panic that buzzed in her brain like a bothersome bee and the cramping feeling in her side. Pounding on the door to his house, she waited impatiently. Finally it opened and a boy with brown hair wearing a blue and black striped T-shirt and jeans answered.

"Dipper! I need your help."

 **A/N:** buh BUH BUUUUUUUUUHH! Bill's been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Northwest! No, she's not a doctor. It just sounds funny that way.

Dipper Gleeful to the rescue!


	4. Chapter 4, Rescue Mission

Dipper couldn't believe it.

Pacifica, one of the new arrivals in town for the summer who he had met one morning while reading after she tripped over his foot and literally ran into him, had asked for his help to get her cousin back. When she explained what she had heard in the woods and how they had disappeared, asking Dipper if he could find the mysterious Northwest girl, he immediately led her to the Northwest mansion up on the hill. This whole ordeal shocked him just that much more because he and Mabel were also half-siblings. His dad had divorced her mom and went bitter, always pressuring Dipper. Dipper and Mabel were born around the same time to different mothers. Priscilla divorced Bud when she found out he was having an affair with another woman-his mom-who became pregnant. But she was pregnant, too, and remarried to Preston Northwest, raising Mabel as a Northwest child. It was kind of confusing, so he didn't think about it often.

Dipper didn't bother with pleasantries. He threw open the doors and marched right in, Pacifica in tow.

"Mabel!" He called, voice forceful. No response. He growled in frustration. Then he turned and marched up the stairs. He walked through the halls with skill having long ago memorized them. Pacifica stumbled along behind, not really sure where they were going.

"Umm, Dipper? Where are we going?" She asked nervously as they passed a room full of creepy stuffed animal heads and bear-skin rugs. A ridge of the floor in there stuck up at one side like someone had dragged an axe through it. Maybe someone had.

"Her room." He replied, simply, voice deep and angry. Pacifica said nothing more after that.

Finally they reached the end of the hall. A door was cracked open at the end, light spilling out and pooling in front of the door. As they neared, voices could be heard.

"You're crazy!" the voice was male and cracking with distress. Pacifica gasped and cupped her hands over her mouth.

"That was Bill!" She hissed to Dipper. The boy glared at the door like he was locked in an intense staring contest with it and stopped in front of it, listening.

"Oh, come now. I'm not so bad. All you have to do is say you like me." The sugary voice that Dipper know so well followed. It hurt to hear her saying that. So it was true. She really had kidnapped Bill.

"What!? Why would I do that when you tied me up and hid me in your room, you psycho?" Bill snapped. Dipper and Pacifica peered through the door and saw Mabel standing before a rope-bound Bill, finger under his chin, tipping up his head so he would look at her straight. His golden eyes smoldered with anger, but the fear was like a wet blanket over his fire of defiance.

"Hm, cute." She jerked her finger up, flicking back his head and walking around him like a hunter surveying their next catch. Dipper couldn't take it anymore. He burst through the door and marched up to a startled Mabel, brown eyes flashing with fury and betrayal. "D-dipper!" She squeaked, having the nerve to step in front of Bill to hide him.

"Mabel, what are you doing?" He demanded, stopping before the girl. "This isn't like you, you need to stop!" Mabel's eyes flickered with a mixture of fear and anger much like Dipper's.

She hung her head, glaring at the floor. "Because no one likes me when they get to know me. And I just really wanted someone to like me…" She whimpered.

"So you thought kidnapping someone and making them like you was the answer?" Dipper gestured to Bill in exasperation.

Mabel looked up at him, eyes sad and watery. She couldn't answer him at all, not justifiably.

Then Pacifica walked in, her eyes darting around, nervously.

"Pacifica!" Bill gasped.

"Bill!" She ran over to her cousin and started untying him while Mabel backed away, standing off to the side. She shot the girl an angry look as she straightened, helping Bill up. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She started checking him swiftly. He laughed a little as she found a ticklish spot.

"I'm fine, Paz. Everything's fine." He assured her. She gave a puff of relief. But Mabel clearly wasn't done with her anger.

"You all suck." She growled. Then she snapped her fingers. A butler rushed in and she looked fiercely at him, fury blazing cold and dangerous in her eyes. "Initiate." She hissed. The butler nodded, then turned on the children. His eyes glowed red and he moved into a battle stance, assorted weaponry activating and sliding out of metal hatches. The man's movements became semi-mechanical.

"H-he's a r-robot?!" Bill gasped, stumbling back and tripping over his abandoned ropes.

Mabel chuckled darkly, dangerous glint never leaving her eyes. "Yes. Preston never pays close enough attention to me to notice when I sneak in my little defensive measures. The bastard's never cared for me, anyway." She absently picked at non-existent dirt from under her nails. She flicked her wrist at the robot. "Destroy them." She spoke calmly and carelessly, like it was no big deal she was having her relative and two new comers torn to shreds.

The robot advanced, machinery whirring as weapons kicked into high gear.

"Mabel! You can't do this!" Dipper cried as he and the two others were backed into the wall. Nowhere left to run. "I'm your brother, for peat-sake!"

Mabel growled. "Half-brother! Our father was an idiot. He never did anything right and that includes parenting. He treats you like dirt and we both know it. So I'm going to put you out of your misery. You'll thank me later." Her voice began furious, but faded to a smooth, cool tone.

Dipper's brain moved a mile a minute. He grabbed a book from his jacket, which he threw on before leaving his house, and flipped through the light caramel-colored pages, searching for something. Finally he found it.

"Guys! Grab my hand now!" He yelled over the whirring of the machines. Bill and Pacifica didn't question. Bill grabbed Dipper's hand and Pacifica his wrist. At first the chanting of the ancient language sounded strange. The Pines kids thought Dipper had gone crazy or something and started rambling gibberish. But then, in a flash of white light, they all vanished. Pacifica yelped. Bill screamed. Dipper chanted. Then they were gone, leaving a scorch mark on Mabel's bedroom floor. The butler returned to its normal mode and Mabel was left staring dumbfounded at the place where the three had disappeared. In their place was a note, as well.

She lifted it and looked at the words. They were in Dipper's handwriting. _It's over, Mabel. You can forget about being friends ever again. Have a nice life. –Dipper Gleeful_

And in that moment, she cried a little. The girl's previously unbreakable emotional barrier crumbled and she was alone once again, this time entirely. Her only true friend and relatable relative was never going to visit her again, and it was all her fault.

 **A/N:** no, Mabel doesn't really come up much more in the story. She's a jerk in this dimension, so no one else will be friends with her. Sad I guess, but she asks for it.


	5. Chapter 5, Friendships and Framing

Bill landed on his face outside the Mystery Shack. Pacifica landed on her behind right next to him and Dipper stood nearby, having skillfully manipulated the magic to drop him upright.

"Whoops, sorry about that. I've only ever teleported on my own before. The woods can be a dangerous place, so I always keep it handy. But trust me, my first time ended in me sitting on the roof of Greasy's Diner. Believe me, it's not fun." He assured the two.

Bill groaned and rolled over onto his back, identifying his singed clothes. A couple of holes were burnt through the sleeves of his shirt and right pant leg. His gloves smoldered still and he patted them out, tossing them aside. Thankfully his necklace was still intact.

"That was amazing! So the magic you use at shows and junk really is real?" Pacifica marveled. Dipper just nodded. "You're the coolest! Candy and Grenda won't believe this!" She started jumping about and giggling like a small child on Christmas.

Bill was still disoriented and dazed, but he stood shakily and gave the other a small smile. "Thanks, man. If it weren't for you I'd be tied up with a crazy girl still."

"Erm, no problem." Dipper replied. He hoped that no one noticed his pink-tinged cheeks and ducked his head.

Then Pacifica bear-hugged the two boys. "We're gonna be the best of friends!" She squealed. Bill and Dipper exchanged amused glances and gave 'why not' shrugs. But on the inside, they all felt a little giddy for the summer ahead.

Dipper didn't talk to Mabel at all after that. He met with Paz and Bill every day at Greasy's. Then they would chat about random things. After eating, they would go on mystery hunts in the woods, sometimes with Wendy, the part-time Mystery Shack handywoman. Pacifica was right. They did become best friends.

After a month or so of the routine, when the kids would go to the Mystery Shack and talk in Bill and Pacifica's room, Stan started noticing the way that stupid Gleeful kid acted around his nephew. Ford said not to bother with it, but he did. He started talking to Bud-Bud mind you-and that never led to anything good. So of course they come up with a ridiculous, over complicated plan to split Bill and Dipper up.

One morning, Pacifica was frantic. She was running around, turning the house upside down looking for something. When Dipper arrived, the place was a mess. Practically everything was on the floor, and what was already on the floor was tipped over or something.

"Woah, what happened here? Looks like a tornado went through the place." Dipper remarked. Bill, who was seated in a windowsill, looked up from what he had been reading and blinked like he was just now realizing the place was trashed.

"My guess? Paz lost something." He replied, surveying the wreckage.

"Right." Dipper muttered. "Obviously." He sighed and raised his hand, swirling a finger in the air and murmuring some Latin words. A smoky blue haze filled the room and lifted the objects off the ground, turning them upright and moving them were they were supposed to be.

"Cool. You've _got_ to teach me that spell. I'll never have to clean my room again!" Bill laughed. Dipper smiled back, ducking his head. Praise from the boy meant more to him than it would from his dad. And that was saying a lot.

Then Pacifica ran in. she looked shocked to see her mess cleaned up.

"Did I not search this room, yet?" She asked, a panicky look on her face. Before she could restart the search, Dipper stopped her.

"You did. I cleaned it up." He replied.

She let out a deep breath and plopped down in a chair. "Oh, what am I going to do? What am I going to do?" She whispered, face in her hands.

Dipper frowned. "Pacifica, what's wrong?" He asked gently.

The girl faced him, watery eyed. "I lost my bracelet." She whimpered.

Dipper was about to ask 'that's it?' when Bill jumped down from the sill and ran up to her, cutting him off.

"What? You mean…" He slipped the triangular charm of a necklace out. A diamond charm, smaller and off to the side, dangled from it, too. Dipper didn't even know Bill _wore_ a necklace, or had one for that matter.

Pacifica nodded, miserably.

"What can we do to find it?" Bill asked, slipping the necklace back into its concealed place.

Pacifica suddenly brightened, eyes saying she had an idea. Uh oh. "Dipper! You can use magic to find my bracelet!" she leaped off the chair and gripped his shoulders when she said this, leaving the boy startled.

"I-I uhh…" He had no clue as to what to say.

"Please, Dipper?" Bill asked. His gold eyes pled with the other, and Dipper found he couldn't say no.

He made a sigh of defeat. "What does it look like?"

Pacifica started bouncing up and down, bad mood vanished. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She gasped. The girl lunged at Dipper, tackling him in a bear hug that he was obviously uncomfortable with. But when Bill joined, being much gentler with him, he allowed them to hug him. Finally the Pines kids pulled away.

"Um, could I have a picture? Or something?" He asked.

"Right!" Pacifica dashed off, coming back a moment later with a picture in hand. "Here." She handed him a picture. It was of two younger kids on Christmas morning, still wearing PJs, holding up a bracelet and necklace with matching charms. The kids looked like Bill and Pacifica, but Paz's hair was shorter and Bill had braces.

"Right, this is all I'll be needing for the location spell." He walked towards the door and waved as he left. "See you later!" Then, without another word, he left, leaving the Pines kids to destroy the rest of the house.

He walked for a while before finding a secluded clearing with a large rock in the middle and placed the photo there. Slipping out his book, he flipped through the yellow-ish pages until he found what he was looking for and he chanted the Latin words.

"Invenire quod perierat, Invenire quod perierat, Invenire quod perierat, duc exercitum, reversus est ad me." As he chanted the words, his eyes glowed blue and the picture lifted, pulling into multiple pieces and drifting in different directions. Dipper located the one he was looking for and followed it. He passed through the trees, following the floating bit of photo, broke the tree line into town, passed shops without care if someone saw him, rounded the corner of Gravity Malls, and walked into an alleyway. Then the picture stopped and fluttered to the ground. The magic deactivated and he was alone in the alley behind the mall. Dipper frowned. What was Pacifica's bracelet doing in an alley? Dipper searched the place. It felt like hours before something happened. A nearby trashcan tipped over and Dipper nearly jumped out of his skin. When he whirled around, he caught sight of two figures just before they turned the corner and disappeared. "Hey, wait!" Dipper called, but too late. The men were gone. Or at least he assumed they were men. Dipper turned back to the dumpster he was searching around for the fifth time and jumped again, mentally punching himself for being so easily startled, when he saw the alley cat standing there. He let out a breath of relief as it meowed at him and scampered off. Then something glinted out of the corner of his eye. Something silver. Dipper crouched by the dumpster, peering around the area, until the glint caught his eye again. He reached back and managed to grab… a rock? He groaned quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose. But then it glinted again. He thrust his hand back behind the dumpster and pulled something else out. A few silver links were in his palm, now. Frowning, he continued to reach in and retrieve piece after piece of slim silver chain, until finally he had the pieces for a bracelet. Dipper was starting to panic. He reached behind the dumpster and pulled out two more things. His heart pounded in his chest with nervous shock. The small objects in his hand were charms. A diamond and a small triangle. "W-what?" Dipper jumped again and spun on his heel. The words hadn't come from him. Behind him were Pacifica and Bill, staring at him with round eyes. "Dipper, what are you doing?" Bill asked. Dipper realized the rock was still in his hand. Why hadn't he dropped it? He threw aside the rock and started frantically waving his hands. "It's not what it looks like!" He pleaded. Bill glared at him as Pacifica knelt down and picked up the pieces of her bracelet. She looked close to tears. "What did you do, Gleeful?" Bill snapped. Dipper flinched, like he had been slapped. "I-I didn't… I just found it this way, I swear!" He insisted. But clearly Bill was having none of it. The harsh glare he gave Dipper hurt more than any of the times Dipper's dad had yelled or hit him, and for once, those golden eyes looked the way they might to one of Bill's classmates at his school in California. Hostile and dangerous, like he might snap at any moment. Like a bomb about to blow. Dipper had never seen them in this light before, and he never wanted to again. Dipper, despite being innocent, hung his head and held out the charms to Pacifica. She took them gingerly and held them in her hands, eyes watery. Then the triangle split in two by a hairline fracture and she couldn't do much else but cry. The tears melted to anger soon enough. "It took me seven months to make enough money for this! This bracelet, while it may not seem so important to _you_ , is very important to me! It was the most important thing I owned, and now, thanks to you, it's destroyed." Her anger slipped away and she looked up at him, blue eyes round and sad. "I thought you were a nice guy, Dipper. You helped us with Mabel and never did anything bad. So why did you…?" The question died on her lips. It didn't need to be finished. She simply shook her head and stood. "Let's go, Bill." She whispered. The Pines kids turned, Bill shooting Dipper another glare, then they left him there. At first Dipper was stunned into silence. But then he recovered himself and took out the journal he had found in the woods a few years back prior the arrival of Ford Pines. He flipped through the pages frantically, trying to locate a spell, but was to no prevail. "Seriously? There's no known repairing spell?!" He threw up his hands in exasperation. "You can tell me a finding spell and teleportation spell, but no _repairing_ spell?!" Dipper groaned and leaned against the alley wall, sliding down its face. "Maybe I was wrong," he murmured, "Maybe this summer won't be as great as I thought…" **A/N:** sorry for the sad twist, but it's going to get better. And sorry this is so late. I've been really busy lately. 


	6. Chapter 6, Aftermath

Dipper burst through the door. His father was lounging on the couch, lazily flipping through a magazine.

"This is your fault!" He yelled. Bud looked up at him, eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me?" He growled.

"You heard me. You were one of the men I saw, weren't you? You sabotaged my friendship with the Pines kids!" Dipper started pacing the room, waving his hands as he spoke. "You couldn't stand that I was friends with them so you destroyed Paz's bracelet and pinned it on me, didn't you? And don't lie to me because I'll know if you do." He stopped and pointed a threatening finger at Bud, who just grinned and looked back at his magazine.

"Those lowly bums weren't good enough to be friends with a Gleeful. And I didn't support your relationship with that blonde fellow. Will, was it?" He replied casually, as if he hadn't just ruined his son's social life.

Dipper's face flushed red. "Bill." He said through gritted teeth, fists clenched so his knuckles turned white.

"Yes, well, Stan didn't care for it much, either." Bud said, grin widening.

Dipper stepped back a pace.

"Mhmm, he was the other man you saw in that alley, boy." Bud didn't seem to care if he revealed information.

Dipper growled under his breath. "You…" his voice shook as he spoke, dripping with malice, "You…" As he went, his voice rose in volume. Finally he couldn't take it. He lunged at Bud and struck him in the jaw. Bud took him by the fist and lifted the kid off the floor, glaring at him.

"So you wanna play like that, ey boy? Fine. Let's play." He growled. He slapped Dipper and threw him aside, leaving him rolling across the floor until he hit a wall. Dipper groaned. Bud stalked off. Mrs. Gleeful rushed in and tried to help Dipper, but a snarl from Bud made her shy away, giving Dipper a look that pled forgiveness. He just gave a cold nod and looked away.

Life was going to get a lot tougher, but Dipper was going to stare Life in the face and shun it. The only way to survive in his world was to become emotionless towards it. Cold and cruel, it was his only chance at survival, so it seemed.

 **oOo**

Bill and Pacifica got back to the shack and walked inside, plopping onto the couch. Pacifica still held the fractured pieces of her beloved bracelet.

"I just don't understand why he would do this…" Pacifica whispered, miserably.

Bill shook his head. "Neither do I, Paz. But whatever the reason, he clearly isn't our friend. Not anymore, anyway." He clutched his jeans tightly, face bent with anger and hurt. Mostly hurt. He had really liked Dipper. And I mean, really liked him. He was nice for a Gleeful kid. But apparently it was all fake. That's what hit Bill the most. He had gone after the main link between him and his cousin. That was where the line was crossed. He had denied it. That was where the anger sparked.

Pacifica knew how her cousin felt about Dipper. She couldn't imagine how he was feeling right about then. All she could do was comfort him.

"I thought… I thought that maybe…" Bill shook his head and steeled his nerves.

Pacifica gave him a hug. "It'll be okay. You don't need him around. You have me to have fun." She attempted to boost his spirits.

Bill sniffed a little and nodded. "Thanks, Paz. You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right!" She laughed, bad mood fading. "Now how about we get Wendy and go chuck water balloons from the roof at random tourists? Will that make you feel better?" She asked. She released him from the hug and was bouncing up and down now, her pig, Waddles, at her side. She had won Waddles at a carnival over the summer. Meanwhile, Dipper and Bill were trying to win a creature of undetermined species at a tip-the-bottles game. Bill pushed aside the memory, focusing on the present.

"Yeah. That sounds like fun." He replied, giving an awkward smile.

"Well, come on then!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room to the gift shop to get Wendy.

It would be alright. Bill had Paz and Wendy and everyone else. Except Dipper, but Dipper didn't matter anymore… right?

A/N: keep telling yourself that, Bill. Maybe it'll make it true. –Eye roll-


	7. Chapter 7, Mending Minds

It had been nearly a month since the bracelet incident. Since then, Dipper had turned nearly everyone against him. Everywhere he went, people stayed away from him. His eyes held a level of cold fury that made even the toughest of others shy away in his presence.

Bill and Pacifica hadn't talked with him since then, either. It was destroying the Gleeful boy more than his father's abuse. While others thought him emotionless, he was actually just a broken child with no vent system, waiting for someone to come to his aid. But that never crossed the Pines kids' minds. They had cut all ties with their old friend. It was clear they weren't on good terms anymore, and Dipper feared it might be forever. But fate has a funny way of turning things around…

 **oOo**

"Bill! We're out of cereal!" Stan called. Bill looked up from the book he had been reading in the attic room, by the red window with the star design on it. He thought that it was interesting, and he liked reading in the sill.

"On it, Grunkle Stan!" Bill had learned to accept that term.

He jumped down from his place in the window and lay the book face down on the cushions. He had also learned to accept that when there was a problem, his uncle liked to call on him to fix it.

The boy walked downstairs and out of the shack, following a familiar path through the woods into town. He passed Lazy Susan and Manly Dan and Tyler, all his friends there in Gravity Falls. None of them had been as close at Dipper had… Bull shook his head, chasing the thought aside. He continued his walk to the store, watching the whole town go about its daily routine. The only place he wasn't paying attention to, it seemed, was the path ahead of him.

As he rounded the corner, gazing at the quaint town of Gravity Falls, someone else walked in the opposite direction and the two collided. Bill toppled over and landed on his behind, a looked of startled worry on his face.

"Omigosh! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there! I was just so sidetracked and…" He stopped as the other sat up and blinked coldly at him. The boy was his age with soft brown hair and eyes to match, a navy blue T-shirt on and jeans, a turquoise pendant attached to the chain of a pocket watch dangled from his shirt pocket. "D-dipper?" He stuttered.

Dipper stood, his gaze like cold fire. "Pines." He muttered, voice soaked in hostility and resent.

Bill's gaze hardened, standing and dusting himself off. "Been a while." He said, voice quiet and dangerous.

Dipper just scoffed.

Bill's head snapped up and he glared at the Gleeful kid, full force. "You seem to act like it was me who did something wrong!" He hissed.

"Of course. You jumped to conclusions." Dipper shot back. He jabbed a finger into Bill's chest, accusingly. Bill swatted it away.

"What was I supposed to think? 'Oh! This person is standing over my cousin's favorite bracelet with a rock and it's in pieces! I think they're trying to fix it!'" He spoke the last part in a mocking tone. Dipper glared at Bill, fists clenched, teeth gritted.

"Shut your mouth, Pines! You have no idea what I've had to go through because of you!" He barked.

Bill threw up his hands. "You did this to yourself! Next time think twice about destroying people's possessions." The boy spun on his heel and marched off, across the street, leaving Dipper alone with himself, the boy looking as cold as ever.

 **oOo**

Dipper leaned against the wall and slid down, pressing his face into his knees. Bill had just left, and he couldn't stand it anymore. He just wanted to be friends again, but he was always too afraid to show any emotion but anger. If he broke down into tears in front of anyone… but no one was around, he was alone, and he felt as horrible as ever.

As he sulked, he broke down into an anxiety attack, tears streaming over his face, fear and anger and hurt flooding his system. Why was this happening to him? Why did everyone hate him so much? Why was Bud such a jerk to him, his own son? Dipper didn't have an answer for any of it. He clenched his eyes shut, tears still flowing down his face, gripping the sides of his head like it might make it all go away.

He was only vaguely aware of the person who came and sat beside him.

 **oOo**

Bill was about to walk into the store, when he realized he had dropped his wallet.

"I can't buy anything without money." He groaned. He backtracked, retracing his steps, and found himself back at the corner where he had run into Dipper. Surprisingly, the boy was still there. But something was off. He had tears pouring down his face and he was clutching his head like it might fly away without him. He kept muttering about his dad and all sorts of other things Bill couldn't make out.

Bill didn't know why, but he found himself sitting beside Dipper, comforting him. He gripped the other boy's shoulders and murmured softly to him.

"It's alright. You're alright. Everything's going to be fine. Deep breaths." Dipper followed his instructions and, gradually, he relaxed. He turned his watery brown eyes to Bill with a mixture of surprise, fear, and gratitude.

"B-bill… I'm so sorry, you know I didn't break that bracelet. My dad framed me to pull us apart. I tried to find some kind of spell to fix it, but there was nothing in my journal about it, and…" Dipper broke off, hiccupping and wiping tears from his eyes.

"It's… It's okay, Dipper. I guess deep down I always knew it wasn't you, but my mind refused to accept it." Bill shook his head and fixed his golden gaze on Dipper. "I owe you the apology, here." He insisted.

And for the first time since their falling out, Dipper smiled. Dryly but surely, he smiled. Things were going to be alright.

A/N: yaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! That is all.


	8. Chapter 8, In Retrospect,,,

Bill had told Pacifica all about the encounter once he got home with Stan's cereal. She was clearly eager to forgive and forget the past misconceptions. The three had been having secret meetings ever since to conceal the rekindled friendship from their guardians. It hadn't been more than a couple of weeks since then, but they were practically best friends again.

Dipper was no fool, though. He knew how he felt whenever he was around Bill. His stomach churned and his palms got clammy and he couldn't help but blush at the sight of his golden gaze, like the precious mineral had been concentrated right into his eyes. It drove the Gleeful kid crazy. Finally he had to admit it to himself. He had a crush on Bill.

It was just a matter of admitting it to his family. He knew no doubt his mother would be accepting, but Bud was the one he worried about most. The short-tempered man might go bonkers from the news. But Dipper had to take the risk. He couldn't lie to his parents about it.

Then it was final. He had to tell them. He would just keep going in circles if he didn't. Thinking it was one thing. Actually _doing_ it was another. Finally he got up his courage and called in his parents. They gathered in the living room, sitting on the couch and watching Dipper expectantly. "Look, I have something to tell you. Just, please don't freak out?" He asked, nervously, pacing the room as he spoke and wringing his hands. Finally he took a deep breath and stopped before Mr. and Mrs. Gleeful, brown gaze confident, yet nervous at the same time. "I… I have a crush on someone…" He began, awkwardly. Mrs. Gleeful perked up with interest and Bud leaned forward a bit, curiously. "Well who might this someone be, boy? Go on. Spit it out." He urged, calmly. Dipper took in one more deep breath and looked away as he mumbled the name. "Bill." Mrs. Gleeful looked like she might bubble over with excitement. Her husband, however, looked furious. "Excuse me, did I hear you correctly?" He scoffed. "It sounded like you said-" "Bill." This time he spoke strongly, voice confident. Bud leaped off the couch, fists clenched. He looked about ready to pound the boy into a pulp. "Bud, please. Calm down." Mrs. Gleeful put a hand on his arm, trying to hold him back, but he shrugged it off fiercely. "You better be jokin' boy." Growled Bud. Dipper's composure didn't waver. "No. I'm not joking." He spoke through gritted teeth. That pushed Bud over the limit. He charged the boy and, fast as lightning, grabbed him, lifting him right of the ground by his neck. Dipper coughed and clawed at Bud's hands, trying to get him to release, but Bud just slugged him. "Bud!" Mrs. Gleeful pulled on his shirt, trying to drag him away, but Bud pushed her aside. "Bud, stop it!" She begged. Bud's face hardened. "You want me to stop? Fine. But I better not see this kid's face at this household ever again." "Bud, what-?" before Mrs. Gleeful could finish, Bud marched up to the door and threw Dipper out. The boy skidded on the sidewalk for a moment before tumbling to a stop. Wen Dipper regained consciousness, the door was shut and his parents could be heard arguing from where he sat. Looking up at the sky, he saw the sun was setting. He would need a place to stay. Dipper must have asked everyone in town, but each time he would be turned away. He would have asked to stay with the Pines family, but Stan would likely yell at him to leave, and he just couldn't face Bill while he was like this. He wouldn't be able to take the rejection. Instead he ended up in one of the alleyways after managing a job at Greasy's. Lazy Susan was nice to him since he had always been such a faithful customer and she figured it was her turn to give a little more back than pancakes. That night, Dipper fell asleep under the stars. And not in the best way. 


	9. Chapter 9, The Breaking Point (Literally

It had been a few days since Dipper was literally thrown out of the house and things weren't so bad. He took peoples' orders and the other residents at Gravity Falls were starting to warm up to him again. They were noticing the humbled change in the boy and their kindness came out of a mixture of goodness and pity. He had discovered a sheltered place in the alley and with some of his money from tips he was able to make it more suitable for living. He figured he would have somewhere real to stay by the time winter rolled around.

Everything was fine. Until Bud sauntered into Greasy's Diner during Dipper's shift. He plopped down at one of the tables with Mrs. Gleeful across from him. She looked as nervous and scared as always, a wide, clearly fake smile plastered across her face. Bud had a confident, challenging look about him, as if to say I'm the one in charge here.

Dipper waited nervously for someone to go up to the table and take their orders, but no one came. With a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and pushed the door to the kitchen open, walking out and stopping at Bud's table.

"G-good morning. M-may I take y-your order?" He stuttered. His grip on his notepad tightened as Bud looked up from his menu and gave him a shocked look. His expression quickly changed to malice.

"Why you little…" Bud stopped himself with a deep breath. "You doin' this to spite me, boy?" He growled.

Dipper shook his head frantically. "N-no!" He squeaked.

"Well, tell that to my fist." He barked, slapping Dipper across his face. "Quit shakin' yer head, boy, or it just might fall off."

With that he stood and left, marching out of the otherwise empty restaurant. Mrs. Gleeful looked like she wanted to say something, but a shout from Bud made her scurry nervously out, shooting Dipper a pleading glance as she passed him. He just looked away from her, cupping his now red cheek in his hands.

Almost as soon as the Gleefuls left, the Pineses (is that how you spell it?) walked in and took a seat by the windows.

Dipper waited a little while, watching Bill, Pacifica, Stan, and Ford laugh and talk. From the way Paz's eyes gleamed and how she waved her hands in the air, she must have been telling one of her Waddles stories. He wished he had a family like that.

As he neared, the sound of their conversation came within earshot. "-and then I said 'Don't touch that dial 'cause the hog just ate it!' and pushed the air horn button a few times. Then the fart button. And the whole time, Waddles was chewing one of the dials!" She laughed as she explained the story.

"I know, Paz. I was there." Bill snorted, but a smile was on his face, showing he didn't really mind. Dipper's stomach felt like one of Lazy Susan's pancakes mid-flip at the sight of his smile. He shook the thoughts from his head and bridged the distance between him and the Pines family.

Once Stan saw him, a scowl spread across his face, making him look down. Pacifica looked as bubbly as usual and Bill seemed to brighten when he noticed Dipper. Ford looked on scene with interest, like he was watching a heated tennis match.

Dipper asked the customary question and Pacifica made no hesitation to order. Ford followed. He was fairly neutral in this situation. But Bill frowned when he noticed the red hand print on the side of Dipper's face.

"Dipper, are you okay?" He asked, eyeing the hand print.

Dipper flashed a please, don't ask look. "Fine." He replied, quietly. Even Stan seemed a little off put by the way the Gleeful kid sounded. He spoke softly with a note of broken-ness to his voice that seemed to make the temperature in the room drop ten degrees.

After that, the Pines family came in daily. They didn't let anyone know, but it wasn't because the food was good (even though it was pretty amazing). It was so they could check on Dipper. Each day he showed up with more bruises or red marks, like someone had been giving him a daily dosage of abuse. When they got back, Bill would be more worried than before, and Pacifica would have to comfort him an extra ten or fifteen minutes each day to the point where it took hours to calm him down.

It had been just over a week or so of this routine. Today Ford and Stan weren't there. Stan was managing the tours that day and Ford was pulling an all-nighter of research so Bill and Pacifica were the only ones to show up. Literally. When they got there, no one else was there. Someone might have been in the kitchen, but other than that the place was empty. They sat down and waited a bit, but Dipper never showed up.

"Paz… do you think he's okay?" Bill asked, his nerves fraying.

Pacifica reached across the table and patted him on the head, ruffling his blonde hair. "I'm sure he just doesn't know we're here. It's not exactly busy. You want to go look for him?" She asked, giving him a reassuring smile. Bill nodded, golden eyes like a sad puppy's.

The two stood and looked behind the counter. A few taps, a couple of them busted. No Dipper. They peeked into the kitchen. The only one there was Lazy Susan, dozing in a chair. No Dipper. They looked in the back. Cleaning supplies, baking ingredients, etc. No Dipper. Bill was about ready to cry.

"He-he's never late or absent or anything. Where could he have gone?" Bill sniffled and looked to Pacifica for help.

She was as uncertain as him. "I really don't know. We should get Stan and Ford and go look. He could be hurt or-" She broke off when she realized she wasn't helping. "Er, right. Let's go look for Dipper."

Together, the Pines kids ran out of Greasy's. As they began searching for Dipper, Pacifica called their uncles and they went and helped search the forest area. Pacifica searched the north end of town and Bill the south. With Stan and Ford in the forest, they had all of Gravity Falls covered.

Stan mostly tripped over roots and angered gnomes.

Ford ran into a colony of fairies and couldn't resist stopping to take notes.

Pacifica ran into Candy and Grenda and got caught up in her girl talk.

Bill had no idea he was now the only one truly looking. As he ran through the same streets for the fifth time, he noticed something that he hadn't heard before. The muffled sound of someone groaning. He backtracked a few paces and found himself in an alley. The groan sounded louder now. Then it stopped altogether. Bill's heart pounded so hard, he was convinced even that star-shaped demon he had met earlier that summer could hear it. Gideon, was it? Ugh, it doesn't matter! Bill thought. He searched around the alley, looking around trashcans and disturbing a couple of scruffy stray cats.

Then he looked around the side of the dumpster. His breath hitched when he saw a motionless shape lying there. A twelve-year-old boy in jeans and a blue and black striped T-shirt. A turquoise stone connected to a pocket watch chain lay in the palm of his hand, fingers wrapped tightly around it. His head was tipped back, eyes closed, one leg bent at an awkward angle. But worst of all was the bad gash reaching from his forehead to his temple, blood pooled around him and stained on his clothes, the cut going through a birthmark on his forehead that had once resembled the Big Dipper. Bill cupped his hands over his mouth and gave a silent scream. He hated blood. The sight of the stuff turned his stomach against him. He resisted the urge to throw up and whipped out his phone, dialing Pacifica's number.

"Hey there, cuz! How's the search going?" She asked, anxiously.

Bill swallowed hard and forced the words out, resisting the urge to start screaming. "Well… I found him. Get Stan and Ford over here now. I'm gonna need some help." He gave her his location and hung up before she could get a word in. "It'll be okay, Dipper. You're going to be fine. Help is on the way." Bill murmured, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. He sat beside the battered boy and tried not to focus on how lifeless he looked this way. So pale and broken, blood dripping down his forehead, his mouth open slightly like he had been mid-sentence when he went unconscious. Bill shook aside the thoughts and gripped Dipper's hand. "Everything's okay. It's all going to turn out fine…" This time it was more to convince himself.

Dipper shifted a bit. His blinked and looked around a moment before his eyes closed again. "B-bill?" He croaked out his name as if it hurt, which it probably did.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me, Dipper. Help is coming. Everything's going to be fine." He insisted.

Maybe it was Bill's imagination, but the other smiled just a bit at the sound of his voice.

"Of course. You're here, right?" He murmured. Then he slipped out of consciousness again, leaving Bill nervous and flustered, just as Pacifica, Stan, and Ford turned the corner into the alley.

 **A/N:** please don't hate me for all of this. it's just part of the prompt i'm using. everything really will turn out okay. cool? cool.


	10. Chapter 10, I Couldn't Think of a Title

"Oh my gosh! Bill, what happened?" Pacifica gasped, rushing to her cousin's side and staring at Dipper, blue eyes round in surprise and fear.

"I-I don't know. I just found him this way." Bill whispered. Compared to the turmoil of his eyes, the shock that danced in hers was no more than a scrap of storm cloud.

"Oh, Bill." She breathed, hugging her cousin. The entire time he was still holding on to Dipper's hand.

* * *

It was a long, awkward ride home. Stan had gotten his car and now he and Ford sat up front, Pacifica, Bill, and an injured Dipper were crammed in the back. Bill had buckled Dipper in the middle, sitting to his left and holding his hand. Pacifica was off to the right feeling nervous and gazing awkwardly out the window. They had cleaned some of the blood from Dipper's forehead, which had stopped bleeding for better or worse, but now they could clearly see the cut. It didn't appear to be very deep, but it wasn't all that shallow either.

While they sat in silence, Pacifica noticed the way Ford and Stan exchanged looks, like they were having a conversation with their expressions alone. Though she couldn't tell what the exact conversation was going like, she could narrow down a few different subjects with common sense. A) How did this happen? B) What next? And C) Bill. The Bill part was kind of implied if you asked Pacifica, because they both noticed how he was reacting to all of this. She just couldn't be sure what their theories on the topic were. She however knew exactly what it was. Bill told her everything. And I do mean everything. From a good grade to a bully attack in the halls, they both confided in each other fully, and this incident was no exception. Bill liked Dipper, but he was super shy about it, and so far he couldn't tell whether the feelings were returned. Well, I'm just going to have to fix that.

They pulled up by the Mystery Shack and Stan carried Dipper inside, Bill right on his heels. Literally. He must have tripped over Stan's heels about ten times in the short period of time they were outside. Pacifica and Ford were close behind, watching Bill with empathy (Pacifica) and interest (Ford) as he scampered after Stan. Or rather, Dipper.

When they got inside, Ford retrieved the medical supplies he would need and Dipper was place on the couch. His leg was still at that weird angle and Pacifica was certain it would make her sick looking at it. They would have to schedule a doctor's appointment to get that checked out since they didn't really have an x-ray or the materials for a cast if needed. But his scrapes Ford could treat easily.

When Ford came back from his lab, he ushered everyone out of the living room and began bandaging the Gleeful boy's cuts. Bill waited anxiously in the kitchen, nervously sipping a Pit Cola as he waited, Pacifica trying to comfort him.

Finally Ford was done and let the others in.

Dipper looked a lot more comfortable, his head wrapped in gauze, some Band-Aids on his arms. Ford explained he wouldn't be able to do much for Dipper's leg until he was conscious enough to visit the doctor's office and it was best not to touch it in case they made it worse. Bill wasn't really listening, though. He dashed past the others and stumbled to a halt by Dipper. Bill only relaxed when he was by his side, seeing he was okay-more or less.

Pacifica noticed. She always noticed. She got a sly smile on her face and shooed her uncles out of the room to leave the boys alone.

Bill, however, didn't notice that. He just stood there.

Finally, after what felt like forever but was only a couple of moments, Dipper made a small noise. Bill released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Then Dipper repeated the sound and he noticed it sounded more like a word. He knelt beside the couch and listened for a moment before he muttered the word again.

"Hmn… Bill…" Dipper whispered, just loud enough for someone to be able to decipher.

Bill's breath hitched. He blinked at Dipper, then relaxed, a smile splitting his face.

When Pacifica came in to check on them, she saw Bill asleep against the side of the couch, hand in Dipper's.

 **A/N:** it's kind of short, but... yeah.


	11. Chapter 11, Rest of Summer Sleepover!

Dipper woke with a jolt, sitting bolt upright and gasping. The action startled Bill awake, who Dipper realized was at his side.

When Dipper looked around, he was a little surprised to find he was safe at the Mystery Shack. A little more surprised to see his awkwardly bent leg and treated scrapes. A little more surprised to discover his hand in Bill's. And yet, he didn't pull away. Bill took that as a good sign.

"W-what? Where? How-agh! Words. Not! Working; for mouth!" Dipper fumbled over his words, eventually giving up and in.

"Dipper! Dipper, you're okay. You're at my house, you're safe." Bill explained, gently. He sat on the section of couch where Dipper's head had been.

"R-right." Dipper blinked at Bill, feeling his stomach do flip-flops at the confident golden gaze the other had trained on him.

While Bill turned on some cartoons, Dipper lay back down, letting his head rest in the other's lap. Neither boy made any kind of protest.

Pacifica came down, still in last night's pajamas, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She glimpsed the boys as she passed and froze, making the beep sound-effect of a truck backing up as she backtracked to the living room entrance. When she "parked" herself by the door and peeked inside, she saw Dipper awake and with his head on Bill's lap and couldn't resist the girly squeal that followed the discovery. The sound made both boys jump, the side-effect of Dipper wincing before settling back down.

"Agh! You two are just so adorable!" She gushed. Bill's and Dipper's faces both turned cherry red.

Bill couldn't stand that starry-eyed look on his cousin's face. He put his head in his hands and groaned.

"Please, Paz, no."

"Please, Paz, yes!" She giggled. Then she ran off. "You want anything for breakfast?" She called over her shoulder. "I'm making it this morning, so there is an 85% chance of glitter in the food forecast."

Whenever she says "85%" you always know she means "100%."

"Umm, no thanks." Bill replied.

"Could I have an ice pack? And not to eat." Dipper clarified.

Another giggle from Pacifica. "Sure thing, Dipping Sauce!"

Dipper flinched ever so slightly. "Umm," he pointed in the direction of the kitchen and looked at Bill for support.

"It's cool, she likes making nicknames."

"You bet, Corn Chip!" Bill nearly choked on his own tongue.

"Don't call me that!" He groaned.

Dipper burst out laughing. Then tried to stifle it when he got a headache.

"Hey! Corn Chip and Dipping Sauce! Isn't that interesting…?" Pacifica sing-songed.

Both of them blanched at that comment. They looked at each other, then where Paz had been, then back at each other, the cycle goes on. Finally Pacifica entered, ice pack in hand, and they both jumped apart. A little too quickly, I might add, because Bill fumbled on the arm of the couch and toppled off at the same time as Dipper forgot his leg and winced, falling over as well. Now they were one on top of the other on the shag carpeting.

Pacifica giggled playfully. "Geez, you two! Get a room." She teased, handing Dipper the requested ice pack.

Bill jumped to his feet the moment he was untangled. Dipper would have done so too, but he couldn't stand, so the Pines cousins helped him up and back onto the couch in a sitting position. Then Bill ran off to retrieve a pair of crutches he remembered seeing buried in Stan's board game closet.

Whatever Pacifica had said to the grumbling Dipper while he was gone had gotten his attention. His face went from shock to excitement to fear to joy to something Bill couldn't read in a matter of seconds. Whatever the last emotion was, it was warm and caring. Something Bill hadn't seen in that form on purity before.

He cleared his throat awkwardly as he entered and Dipper turned to him, the excited look returning more dimly to his face. There was also a lot of blue glitter on him. Bill figured Paz must have put glitter on his ice pack per usual. "I, uh, found some old crutches you can use to get around for a bit before we go to the doctor's." He said. As he spoke, he offered Dipper the crutches, looking at the ground beside him in nervous embarrassment.

Pacifica retrieved them and passed them on to Dipper, whispering something to him as she left. Whatever she had said must have been amazing because Dipper's eyes sparkled at her words. And it was certainly not because of the glitter.

"Thanks, Bill. This was really thoughtful of you." Dipper spoke warmly, the praise sparking something inside Bill that surprised him.

"Err, it's, uh… no problem." Bill flushed a little at the nervous slur of his words.

Either Dipper didn't notice or he didn't mind because his face only brightened.

"Come on, let's have some breakfast of our own creation. I don't think I want to try Pacifica's Glitter Cuisine™ just yet." He suggested.

Bill laughed a little. "Oh, yeah. Trust me, you couldn't handle that kind of intense food. I've had my entire life to adapt to that kind of lifestyle. I have a much stronger metabolism."

"I'll take your word for it." Dipper agreed.

Dipper and Bill made breakfast together. Dipper was acting as more of a cook book, though, since traveling around to make the food would be difficult in his condition, while Bill actually cooked it.

"And vaula! Pancakes a la Teamwork!" Bill presented the stack of pancakes.

During Dipper's time at Greasy's he had learned to cook the pancakes (you can't work at a restaurant and not know how to cook!) there. Now a stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, perfectly golden, spread with butter and drizzled in amber syrup, sat before them.

They divided up the pancakes onto two separate plates, Dipper having to remind Bill to turn off the burner and not place anything on top of it. Seriously, how did this guy survive before he met him? Chances are Pacifica wasn't much help with memos.

Dipper took a bite. His eyes widened and he hummed in satisfaction. "Wow! They taste-"

"-Just like-"

The two met eyes, starry, excited expressions lighting their faces. "Greasy's!" They both started

laughing.

Once they had recovered their wits, they finished off the pancakes in record time.

"We're a dynamic duo, you know that?" Dipper smiled a bit-simply the corner of his mouth upturned-as he stared down at his syrup-y plate. Was it just Bill's imagination or was he blushing a little?

Bill smiled along with him.

"We really are… Hey!" Bill jumped up suddenly, hands pressed against the tabletop, gold eyes sparkling, startling Dipper. He wasn't sure what made him say his next words, but he didn't think he cared. "What if you stayed here? At the shack? Rest-of-summer sleepover!" He offered.

Dipper gazed up at him. The smile returned to his face, wider and more recognizable now.

"Why not?"

 **A/N** : so I won't be updating as much now. After I finish this little project here, I'm going on Hiatus. Top secret reasoning. But I will be trying to finish this during 2016, so don't worry. It's coming to a close soon. I'll probably have it done by Christmas.

Just sit tight, my faithful readers!


	12. Chapter 12, Blind Date

Sitting there in Greasy's, waiting for some mystery date, the only thing that came to Bill's mind was: Pacifica's been scheming again.

They only had a couple more weeks of summer left. Since Bill's invitation for Dipper to stay with the Pines family, Stan gave up on being angry at him. And seeing how happy his nephew was around the Gleeful boy, he figured it couldn't hurt.

Bill's stomach did acrobatics as he waited, nervously drumming his fingers on the table surface.

 _Please don't be him, please don't be him, please don't be him!_

It was him.

A boy with soft brown hair and eyes, pale skin, a blue T-shirt, and black pants stepped inside. He sported a set of crutches and a blue cast. A turquoise stone dangling from a pocket watch chain hung slightly outside his pockets.

 _Pacifica, you didn't!_

Bill's heart was the only thing racing faster than his mind. Had his cousin really done this to him? Yes. Yes she had. She had set him up on a blind date with his crush.

 **oOo**

As Dipper scanned Greasy's Diner, his gaze caught on the only person seated inside. A blonde boy with tanned skin wearing a light yellow long sleeve T-shirt, black vest, jeans, and yellow-and-white baseball cap.

His stomach churned as he remembered Pacifica's words.

 _Oh, yeah, you two are practically besties! This person is blonde and wears a lot of yellow. They have a necklace with two charms on it. You can't miss 'em!_

He had noticed how she didn't specify gender. Until then, he had been denying himself the wishful thinking that it could be him. _I'm sure it's just a coincidence!_ But standing there now, he had to accept it.

He was head over heels for the Pines boy. From what Pacifica told him, Bill felt the same way. He just had to take the plunge.

 **oOo**

 _He's walking over! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!_

Bill took a deep breath to calm his nerves. _Relax!_ He told himself. _It's just Dipper._ Right, there was nothing to worry about. Just Dipper. Just Dipper. Just Dipper.

"Hi," Bill cringed at his voice crack. He absolutely hated them.

Dipper simply smiled. There was a genuine warmth in that smile, though, that relaxed Bill.

Dipper sat down and rested his head in the palm of his hand.

"Pacifica?" He asked.

"Pacifica." Bill nodded.

They were quiet for a moment. Then Dipper began to laugh, softly but surely. The laugh grew more intense until he was doubled over. The smile on his face was enough to make Bill laugh, too.

"That sneaky Aphrodite girl!" Dipper snorted.

"You're such a dork." Bill giggled.

"Aww, you don't mind."

"You're right, I don't. Now what's so funny?"

"It's just," Dipper wiped a tear from his eye (he laughed that hard!), "This girl's been playing chess."

"Um, Paz hates chess."

"No, I mean… she saw all this from the start. She saw it and began pulling the strings, planning and moving her pieces strategically. She was the player, we were the pawns."

Bill groaned and put his head in his hands. "You know what? Let's forget Pacifica for a bit, okay? The moment my cousin outsmarts me you know the universe is spontaneously combusting somewhere."

Dipper laughed again.

Lazy Susan took their orders. They ate, quietly, talking casually about nothing in particular. They exchanged questions and Bill made a few awful puns because why not?

After they finished, Dipper took a deep breath and set down his fork. The motion was done with a sense of finality Bill didn't think possible.

"Hey, um, while we're here… there's something I should tell you." He said, nervously. Bill noticed he was fingering the turquoise stone on his pocket watch chain the way he sometimes did when he was on edge.

Bill nodded, keeping cool on the outside. But on the inside he was exploding with nerves.

"I, uh, I think I… umm…" Dipper flushed a little.

Bill laughed a little bit and took Dipper's hand.

"I like you too." He said, a knowing smile on his face.

Dipper looked surprised at first, but then a smile crept onto his face. He couldn't help it. Bill was just too happy to not be happy around.

"You know we're playing right into Pacifica's hand, right?" He asked.

"Yeah… and I'm okay with that."

 **A/N** : sorry, but this is where it ends. I might add, like, a sequel chapter or something where Bill's leaving Gravity Falls. Like a bonus scene! Other than that, I'm going to have to say it's completed.

Questions/comments/critiques/concerns are appreciated.

Until next time! Anonymous, signing off.


End file.
